Expectant mothers who are chocoholics can take heart in a Finnish study that finds chocolate appears to reduce maternal stress and produce happier babies, the online version of New Scientist magazine reported.

In a study of 300 women, babies born to those who had eaten chocolate daily during pregnancy were more active, smiled and laughed more, and showed less fear of new situations, University of Helsinki researchers found.

The researchers -- while cautioning that their study does not prove a definitive link between chocolate and happier infants -- speculated that chemicals in chocolate associated with positive mood may be passed on to the fetus in the womb, the magazine's report said.